Reflection on the Field Study

The field studies were carried out in Nepal, the home country of the researcher, and two other Asian countries, Bangladesh and Thailand. The main components of the field work were to collect primary data from the landowners of the selected study areas, interview and discuss with the government officers working in and under the land ministries, senior executives of the real estate associations, bank officials, academics and land rights activists. Collection of secondary data from the government organisations, national statistical offices and central bank was also a part of the field-work.

A great difference was observed in undertaking research in home and in the other countries. A very warm welcome was offered to the researcher in his home country while visiting the government offices where the researcher had been employed for a long period of time. Most of the officers working in the land administration organisations were known to the researcher. The staffs were very excited to discuss the project and ready to provide the required information. Some respondents of the bank, financial companies and the real estate agencies were reluctant to discuss mortgage loans since this sector was suffering badly from credit problems at the time of the field-work. However, when they understood the purpose of the study and the content of the questions, they became supportive and more open. At the end, all the respondents were happy about the discussion.

The landowners of the study area were excited and happy that their cases had been chosen for study. When the purpose of the research was explained to them, they felt that their voices would now be heard in the academic sector as well. They were very eager to see their case written in the form of a thesis. They cooperated with the researcher and the surveyors by sharing their knowledge.

The researcher presented himself as a research student rather than an employee of the government among the respondents to avoid bias in their answers. His personal relationship was used to some extent to collect secondary data from the government and

96 banking sectors but not to influence the information from the respondents. Very good support was received from the academics, land rights activists and local people in the study area.

The situation in Bangladesh was quite different. Very warm support was received from the academic and non-government sectors. The support from the Daffodil International University was highly appreciated. The field-work could not have been completed without their support. Similarly, people working in the land rights sector were also excited about the study and eager to help the researcher. However, access for a foreigner to the government ministries and departments was found to be very difficult. The senior officers of the Department of Land Records and Survey were not interested in talking with the researcher as he was a foreigner. The researcher failed to book any appointments with the directors. Also, he did not get any access to the ministries. It was an unanticipated challenge faced by the researcher during his field-work in Bangladesh. No information could be collected from the central level land administration organisations consequently the researcher had to rely on the information collected from secondary sources, specifically in the case of the progress of the ministries. However, the officers working in the local land registries were very cooperative. They were even excited to know from the researcher about the land administration system and practices.

Difficulties in understanding the local language and culture, travel and transportation were the other challenges faced by the researcher during his field-work in Bangladesh and Thailand. Common people could not speak and understand English. The researcher could not go outside his room and buy necessary items from the shops without the help of a translator. Long traffic delays in Dhaka city were another problem that affected the daily schedule of the researcher. Travelling in rickshaws and CNG10 in the afternoon was really horrible because of the traffic and high temperatures. It was even hard to attend two appointments in a whole day. Two and a half days holiday in a week also hampered his work. Moreover, protest rallies, demonstrations and public strikes and the use of force to suppress them also affected the daily schedule. The researcher had to stay inside for

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97 four days because of the violent protests. Also, incidents of theft, robbery and kidnapping were quite common in the city. The researcher tried to avoid all unnecessary and unaccompanied travel for safety reasons. Despite these challenges, the field-work was completed on time because of the huge support from research assistants and translators. It is interesting to note that the differences in culture and religion did not have any serious impact on the fieldwork.

The researcher did not face much challenge during the field-work in Thailand as one of his classmates was employed in the survey department. She booked appointments with the directors of the Department of Lands, helped in collecting data from the department and National Statistics Office and arranged a field trip to Nonthaburi Land Office. Also, the field-work in Thailand was much shorter than in Nepal and Bangladesh as it was only focused on interviewing some respondents, collecting secondary data from the government departments and visiting a land office. Access to government departments and language remained problematic but were tackled with the help of assistants and colleagues.

There were no major changes in the case study plan. In Nepal, the data was collected from almost all of the expected respondents. There were minor changes in the questionnaire designed for the survey after doing a pilot study. However, there were no significant changes in the interview check-list. Some respondents, especially the local Land Revenue Officers were quite busy and opted to answer their questions in writing. Similarly, there were no major changes in the action plan prepared before going to the field although the interviews with some respondents had to be rescheduled because of their time constraints.

The study area in Bangladesh was selected only after discussion with local land professionals. The questionnaire had to be modified in order to integrate with the local system. The Ministry of Lands and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (MOLJAPA) could not be visited since no access was granted to the ministry compound. However, the required information was collected from other sources. Personal relationships of the research assistant helped in collecting data from the central bank.

98 Instruction from the supervisor was obtained from time to time which helped in conducting the field study properly. Although there were some difficulties throughout the field-work, the overall work remained successful.